Marco Rubio has been a game changer in my party, said Graham on NBC's Meet the Press, predicting that the Tea Party favorite would help aid passage of a Senate immigration bill.

Graham said the Tea Party favorite had worked to ensure that GOP concerns were addressed in the legislation.

He will be there only if the Democrats will embrace a guest worker program and a merit-based immigration system to replace the broken one, and we'll regain our sovereignty by securing our borders and having control of jobs through E-Verify, said Graham.

Marco has been indispensable. 70-30, we get there, he added.

Rubio is expected to play a key role in winning conservative support for the bipartisan Senate immigration bill being crafted, but in recent weeks has urged senators to move slowly, fearing that the legislation could falter if they do not secure public support first. Those comments led to fears that Rubio was not on board with the Senate groups efforts, but Graham sought to allay those fears on Sunday.

Rubio will brief Republicans on progress in crafting an immigration bill during next week's policy luncheon, Graham said.

On CBSs Face the Nation, Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) also praised Rubios role in the talks, with McCain saying he had been very helpful.

Hes reached out to conservative sides, said McCain.

Schumer said that there would be no deal until all members of the Gang of Eight were in unison.

All of us have said there will be no agreement until all of us agree on a big specific bill, but hopefully we can get that done, said Schumer.

The bipartisan Senate group is close to unveiling legislation on a comprehensive immigration reform proposal, with Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) saying Sunday he was hopeful language would be ready by the end of the week.

Were hoping to get this thing done in the next couple of weeks, Graham said, offering a broader timeline than Schumer.

The group first unveiled their framework in January, but have since been bogged down in negotiations over a number of key provisions, including a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country.

But Graham said Senate Republicans are largely on board regarding immigration reform.

"The politics of self-deportation are behind us, Graham said, adding that conservative opposition to granting citizenship was "impractical" given the number of illegal immigrants already in the country.

I hope you are right. There are still a lot of folks, and even some FRiends, who remain in the dark about the rot inside the GOPe core. I almost feel bad for Rubio, being suckered into hitching his wagon to that train. But then, I thought Rubio was smarter than that. He's let me down a little; I can't feel too bad for him. After all, he's choosing to become part of the problem.

4
posted on 04/07/2013 12:22:12 PM PDT
by so_real
( "The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools.")

I almost feel bad for Rubio, being suckered into hitching his wagon to that train.

Suckered? Getting into a room with four Democrats does not make him a sucker - it makes him an accomplice. Let's face it - the only thing we know about what these people think comes from what they tell us. Would it surprise you to hear that politicians, even more than car salesmen, tell us what they think we want to hear, rather than what they really think, in order to hoover up campaign dollars and volunteer time? Until they get into positions of power, upon which they push legislation contrary to their supporters' beliefs and interests, thereby demonstrating what they really believe (mainly in personal advancement and, in Rubio's case, the interests of his ethnic group). Rubio has actually revealed time and again what he really believes, but conservatives have repeatedly blocked out that reality because he's young and has an attractive persona, in addition to being somebody's idea of the mythic Great Hispanic Contender who will finally bring in the Hispanic vote for Republicans.

14
posted on 04/07/2013 12:38:31 PM PDT
by Zhang Fei
(Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)

...by softening its edge on some volatile social issues and altering its image as the party always seemingly "eager to go to war... We do need to expand the party and grow the party and that does mean that we don't always all agree on every issue" ... the party needs to become more welcoming to individuals who disagree with basic Republican doctrine on emotional social issues such as gay marriage... "We're going to have to be a little hands off on some of these issues ... and get people into the party," Paul said. [Rand Paul: Time for GOP to soften [immigration, gay marriage] stance]

One day after announcing on his radio show that he is "truly considering" running in 2014 for the U.S. Senate seat now held by New Jersey's Frank Lautenberg, Rivera amped up his message today in a television interview and a column on the Fox News Latino website... a moderate Republican who is fiscally conservative but also supports gay marriage and Roe v. Wade... [Geraldo Rivera declares himself a 'moderate Republican' as he eyes U.S. Senate run]

19
posted on 04/07/2013 1:08:02 PM PDT
by SunkenCiv
(Romney would have been worse, if you're a dumb ass.)

>> All of the Rubio-supporters around here should be DEEPLY ashamed. Some of us recognized him for a race-baiter right from the start. <<

The biggest red flag for me was that his biggest cheerleaders here were the SAME people who swore up and down that Mel Martinez was a "terrific, pro-life, Cuban-American conservative who is AGAINST amnesty", and demanded all conservatives "get behind him" the moment he announced his candidacy, without bothering to vet his record.

Rubio has been for amnesty from the beginning. He only backed off early when conservatives cried foul. Now he sees an opening and he is back on the amnesty track. He has two things going for him on this issue. He is courting the Latino vote and the Rino’s are scrambling for someone to ‘appeal’ to Latinos, legal or illegal. Similar to blacks, many Latinos will vote solely based on race, SCARY!!!!

Documentation File on the harmful impact of the Counterculture of Obamanation on America.

___________________

Barry Soetoro, aka B. Hussein Obama, 5 days before the end of GWBs Presidential term, told The Gullible the following: We are five days away from FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORMING THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

Going on 5 years now, the best friends that Obama could have had to help him achieve his above stated dastardly goal were the RINO leaderships in the US House and Senate, AND THEY ARE STILL IN POWER!

_____________________

IMHO, the Counterculture of Obamanation will continue to destroy America for as long as the US Congressional RINOs allow it to, and not one minute more!

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